An all-female crew including pop star Katy Perry, broadcast journalist Gayle King and Jeff Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sanchez safely returned from space on Monday after a brief flight manned by Blue Origin, marking the company’s latest star-studded venture into space.
Key Takeaways
- Katy Perry, King and Sanchez were joined Monday by scientists Amanda Nguyen and Aisha Bowe, as well as independent film producer Kerianne Flynn, marking the first all-female space trip since 1963.
- The mission took flight on Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle, which has already carried several celebrities to space and can reportedly cost passengers millions.
When Did Blue Origin Launch New Shepard And How Can I Watch It?
Blue Origin launched its New Shepard rocket from the company’s facility in West Texas at about 9:30 a.m. on Monday. Coverage and video of the launch are available on Blue Origin’s social media channels and its website.
How Long Was Blue Origin’s Space Mission—and Where Did They Go?
The roughly 10-minute flight took the crew just above the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. New Shepard’s rocket achieved a maximum velocity roughly three times the speed of sound during its ascent to an altitude of more than 346,000 feet, where the spacecraft’s capsule began its descent toward the Texas desert. The spacecraft’s booster separated just before the apogee—the highest point of the flight—was reached and landed about a minute before the capsule. The capsule deployed parachutes before landing near Blue Origin’s launch site just after 9:40 a.m. EDT, and Bezos was among the company’s recovery staff to welcome the crew back to Earth. There were no pilots on board, as the rocket is fully autonomous.
Why Are Katy Perry And Gayle King Going To Space?
The space mission is the latest flight on Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle, which was created for commercial space flights and is a key figure in the growing, and costly, space tourism industry. In a cover story about the space mission, Perry told Elle she has “wanted to go to space for almost 20 years” and wanted to make space “glam.” She told the Associated Press she has “always been interested in astrophysics and interested in astronomy and astrology and the stars,” adding she wants to “inspire young girls to go, ‘I’ll go to space in the future.’” The crew members told Elle they wanted to set an example for women in space exploration, citing statistics that only about 11% of all people to travel to space have been women.
Which Celebrities Has Blue Origin Taken To Space?
Bezos, the world’s second-richest person and the founder of Blue Origin, went to space on a New Shepard flight in July 2021, the spacecraft’s first mission with a crew. Bezos was joined by his brother, Mark Bezos, aviator Wally Funk and then-18-year-old Oliver Daemen. Daemen was selected to join the mission after crypto billionaire Justin Sun won an auction for a whopping $28 million to join the crew, but deferred his flight due to scheduling conflicts. Actor William Shatner flew to space on a New Shepard rocket in October 2021, becoming the oldest person to travel to space, while television host and former NFL player Michael Strahan participated in a New Shepard flight in December 2021.
How Much Does A Blue Origin Flight Cost?
Tickets for travel on Blue Origin’s flights can cost millions. To reserve a seat, customers must fill out a form on the company’s website that includes a deposit of $150,000. Coby Cotton, a YouTube star who co-founded the popular Dude Perfect channel, flew on a New Shepard rocket in August 2022, and Quartz reported his seat cost $1.25 million. Blue Origin has not publicized how much it charges for space flights, though Observer reported the company has offered some flights at no cost, while charging others steeper prices. “It’s not about money; it’s about who you are, your social capital, whether you align with their launch purposes,” Roman Chiporukha, co-founder of SpaceVIP, which helps wealthy people book space trips, told Observer.
Tangent
The space flight prompted mixed reactions. Actress Olivia Munn criticized the space trip in an appearance on “Today with Jenna & Friends” last week, calling it “gluttonous.” “It’s so much money to go to space,” Munn said, adding there are “a lot of people who can’t even afford eggs.” Some social media users have reacted to the upcoming trip with concern. One TikTok video praising the space flight garnered 3 million likes, though many of the most-liked comments are from users stating they are anxious about the trip.
